New Beginnings; Committed Ends

Graduation is one of the major milestones of our lives and generally sets the course for the path we will take for our future. When we first start to school we don’t really comprehend the journey we are beginning. However, as the years pass by, we slowly begin to recognize the fact that at some point we will be on our own and thus we begin to look forward to that day. It seems to become a permanent thought in our minds that graduation day is when our lives really begin. Therefore our focus starts to sharpen for most of us as we look forward to that day.

This week just about everyone I know has been involved in some kind of graduation event with either their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and in some cases even their spouses. As I’ve already mentioned, many young people will begin a new phase in their life and I would venture to guess that most of them are very excited about that. Maybe a little scared but still excited. Young men and women all over this country will begin to make choices that will affect them for the rest of their lives. It is truly an exciting time for them and a new beginning into what they hope to be a successful life. So our hats are off to all of them for their achievements and our sincere wishes for their prosperous futures.

On the other hand, we also need to recognize those whose lives have prematurely ended due to the ravages of war. Memorial Day, which we will officially observe on Monday, is a time that has been set aside to remember and honor those who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy in our great nation. The vast majority of those men and women were probably just beginning a new life when they found themselves in the midst of something much greater than themselves. While many young folks at home were celebrating their new beginning these heroes were about to come to a premature end to their lives. I’m reminded of what Jesus told His disciples just before He was to be crucified. “No greater love than this that a man would lay down His life for another.” So many of our young men and women have done just that so our hats are also off to all of them in honor of their great sacrifice.

I would be remiss with all of this if I didn’t remind each of us of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made. He paid the price for our sin by giving Himself on the cross. And my friends, He did it willingly because of His great love for us. When he voiced those words to His disciples He was surely referring to Himself and the task at hand. And in the words of an old great gospel song, “Oh praise the Lord, He did it all for me!”